History

Over time this page may include other interesting historical information… for now – this is an email we received from Bob Graham in Sacramento. His website is www.longcamp.com. This is rather interesting and explains the marker on the first cabin on the right after you cross the river.

Just in case you are not aware of it, Sciots Camp is the historic site of an 1844 camp of Fremont’s 2nd Expedition.

Fremont camped right there on Feb 23, 1844, along with Kit Carson, Tom “Broken Hand” Fitzpatrick, Charles Preuss, another two dozen voyageurs, and about 50 horses and mules.

He was descending from his epic winter crossing of the Sierra, having traveled for 3 days along the ridge between Sales Canyon and Strawberry Creek that leads out from Carson Pass. That ridge terminates at Lovers Leap, but they descended down the western flank and crossed the river just below Strawberry. Fremont’s moccasin slipped on an icy rock; he fell into the river, and Carson jumped in to rescue him.

The most likely area for the actual campsite of the 23rd / 24th is the western end of Sciots Tract on the north side of the river. A determination of latitude by polaris was made there at three in the morning on the 24th.

The text of Fremont’s Report to Congress, which covers the dates described here, is also available printed in The Crossing, available at Placerville News, Sorensen’s Hope Valley Resort, and the El Dorado National Forest Interpretive Association at Carson Pass. www.longcamp.com/format.html

Fremont’s next stop was Kyburz, and then Riverton. He continued on the north side of the American all the way down to Sutter’s Fort.